Man whose dad died with pustular lesions says Kansas City VA settled suit for $500K

Blue Springs resident Craig Beemer said he has agreed to a $500,000 settlement with the Kansas City VA Medical Center for the death of his father, an 84-year-old U.S. Navy veteran.

Beemer and his brother Mark filed a lawsuit in September that alleged their father, John, developed "pustular lesions" and died after VA staff treated him with an antibiotic, Ceftriaxone, that caused a severe reaction.

"They knew they screwed up," Beemer said. "It was in his records he was allergic to that, but they gave it to him anyway."

The U.S. Attorney's Office, which represented the VA, disputed that in court documents filed in February. But VA spokesman Dwayne Rider confirmed Friday that a settlement had been reached in the case.

Rider said he was directed to refer questions to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri.

Jill Baker, a spokeswoman for that office, said it would not comment on the Beemer case.

Craig Beemer said he made it clear from the beginning of the settlement negotiations that he was not willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement that would keep him from talking about the terms and the payout.

"It was never really about the money for me," Beemer said. "It was letting everybody know what happened."

This story was originally published April 7, 2018 at 12:44 PM with the headline "Man whose dad died with pustular lesions says Kansas City VA settled suit for $500K."